AQ Turns 2nd pair, odd opponent action

[Big John D]

Iv'e only got about 50 hands on the SB, but in that time he's been loose preflop but doesn't raise overly light. Postflop, he's aggressive without being too much of a calling station.

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP3 calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB 3-bets</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, MP3 calls.

Flop: (10 SB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, Hero checks, MP3 checks.

Turn: (5 BB) Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets</font>, Hero...?

I'm thinking raise, but am I being trapped?

[Grvnhigh]

Even with that fishy looking check, I still think you bet this flop. Having gotten to the turn in the way that you did, calling is the best play. If your opponent is betting a worse hand, he will certainly fold to a raise, and if you are chopping or worse, you can possibly collect an overcall from the player behind you.

[Big John D]

Ok, so bet the flop. If SB check-raises me, call the raise, then check-fold the turn if I don't hit the flush?

Edit: Actually, with the NFD, I want to see the river with this hand, right?

[chief444]

The flop check is odd, but with the flush draw I'd still bet. He could be hoping to check/raise with AK or better or he could just have TT-QQ or AQ and be afraid of the K.

I'd call the flop. MP3 would have almost certainly bet a K or better.

[meep_42]

I'm thinking SB has a hand like TT/JJ here a lot of the time -- but i'd have bet the flop, making the hand play out a lot differently. I'm probably raising this to semi-bluff and get MP3 out, I don't think you get 3-bet by anything less than AA/KK/QQ/KQ, to which you have a redraw to the nuts.

-d

[Big John D]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd call the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you mean to say "I'd bet the flop?"

[chief444]

No, I meant I'd call the turn. Sorry.

[spydog]

Just bet the flop when he checks. If he checkraises, you have position to stick him on the expensive streets if you hit your flush. Plus, if MP3 calls your bet and you get checkraised, you aren't losing money since you only need 2 callers for your flop bet to be profitable with a 4-flush.

Sometimes KK will get real mousy on the flop, see your flop bet and say 'ha, I'll CR him on the turn'. Then you check the turn and villian wonders why he's deposited 5k into 'goddammmn Party Poker'.

[chief444]

Meep,

It's a 6 BB pot, 7 BB after you call, and if MP3 calls he's likely calling with very few outs. Also, if you're ahead of SB you're way ahead. If you're behind and raise you'll get 3-bet with 9 outs. I think calling is much better.

Chief

[Big John D]

I easily could have gone either way on the flop. Bet or check.

I think that the biggest problem in my whole game right now is I push to hard at the wrong times. The turn is where I think I really started to come apart on this hand. This is so typical of me.

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP3 calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB 3-bets</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, MP3 calls.

Flop: (10 SB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, Hero checks, MP3 checks.

Turn: (5 BB) Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, MP3 calls, <font color="#CC3333">SB 3-bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero caps</font>, MP3 calls, SB calls.

River: (17 BB) 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP3 folds, SB calls.

Final Pot: 19 BB

Why do I do this? Sometimes, I'm trying to bluff. I bluff waaaay too much. Sometimes, I'm trying to catch a bluff, which I also do way too much. Other times, I'm trying to muscle the best hand off a pot, when I should know that he'll never fold!

Anybody else have these problems? How did you go about fixing them in your game?

[chief444]

SB isn't 3-betting the turn with anything you chop with or are ahead of.

[Big John D]

[ QUOTE ]
SB isn't 3-betting the turn with anything you chop with or are ahead of.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea, I know. I knew it then, too. But I wasn't capping the turn or leading the flop for value. I was trying to move him off the pot.

Pretty bad, huh?

The really bad thing is, it works just enough to make me feel like it works, but not enough to be +EV.

I just "realized" yesterday that this is a problem for me. So now I was hoping to bring an example or two in for confirmation.